NASCAR Reinstates Former Crew Member Jerome FreyNASCAR has reinstated former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew member Jerome Frey upon his successful completion of NASCAR’s Substance Abuse Policy Road to Recovery Program. Frey had been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR on August 10, 2011 for violating the sanctioning body’s substance abuse policy.

Edwards/No. 99 Team Go to Backup After Multicar AccidentThe season’s first practice session saw the season’s first multicar accident, with five cars involved in an accident that took place only nine minutes into the season’s first practice. The result sends Roush Fenway’s Carl Edwards and the No. 99 Fastenal team to a backup car for tomorrow night’s Sprint Unlimited all-star race.

“I didn’t see anything,” said Edwards. “I should have been listening to my spotter Jason Hedlesky because he said, ‘watch ‘em, watch ‘em’ about two seconds before this happened. I just didn’t step on the brakes early enough. I don’t know exactly and Matt (Kenseth) probably had no clue that Kurt (Busch) was underneath him.

“That one little beat and I hit Mark (Martin) and I thought I was clear and you will see Kurt in front of me and he was sideways into the wall,” added Edwards. “It is pretty frustrating. The silver lining for us is that last year we came down here and we sat on the pole for the 500 and everything was cool and smooth and our year went terrible. Hopefully this is all our bad luck.”

BAR1 Motorsports Signs Kyle Marcelli For ALMSEntering into the teams second season of ALMS competition, BAR1 Motorsports has recruited an impressive line-up of people. With the recent announcement of the Grand-Am Rolex Series and American Le Mans Series merger, 2013 will see ALMS will crown its final champions in history and BAR1 Motorsports plans to win those honors!

Team owner, Brian Alder, is quite pleased with the team's accomplishments and the progress made in the off-season.

"Since BAR1 Motorsports opened its doors in 2012 we have continually been growing and maturing, the 2012 / 2013 off-season was no different. We have made lots of progress in the off-season and have used this down time to our advantage by fine tuning our operational procedures, hiring additional highly qualified personnel, and bringing our equipment and overall image up to a much higher standard." Said Brian Alder, Team Owner.

AJ Foyt Racing enters the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series with renewed support from three of its staunchest associate sponsors: Alfe Heat Treating, Greer Enterprises and Housby Trucking.

Alfe enters its third year of involvement with the Foyt team and plans to leverage the association to an even greater degree this season.

“We found there’s a lot of excitement within our sales and marketing department about the opportunities to improve exposure to customers,” said Kurt Westman, President of the heat treating services company with headquarters in Ft. Wayne, Ind.“We’re really looking forward to Indy this year—that’s a big race for us—and getting more customer involvement,” Westman continued. “Last year we focused predominantly on our Indiana customer base and now we’re realizing we’ve got a lot of customers who are very excited about Indy that are outside of our Indiana markets—Michigan, Ohio and even North Carolina—so I’m sure we’re going to see some presence from those customers in those states as well.

Jota Sport have signaled their intent to contend for class victory in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 22-23) by adding highly-successful endurance racer Lucas Luhr to their driver line-up for the prestigious event.

The German racer joins Jota Sport regulars Simon Dolan and Oliver Turvey aboard the team’s LMP2 class Zytek-Nissan as they chase victory at the La Sarthe circuit, forming a crew that will rank among the strongest in the ultra-competitive category. The trio began preparations for the twice-around-the-clock contest this week with three days of testing at Spanish venue Motorland Aragon.

SPEED Energy Drink Joins Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Sponsor FamilySPEED Energy Drink is proud to join the festivities at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach as the Official Energy Drink Sponsor with a display in the Lifestyle Expo and will be sampled and sold throughout the facility during the April 19-21 event.

SPEED Energy’s Street Team will be on-hand to sample product and sell merchandise to the thousands of fans that will be a part of the weekend event.

Long-standing sponsor Direct Supply remains with Sarah Fisher Hartman RacingSarah Fisher Hartman Racing and Direct Supply, a sponsor that has been with the team since its inception, have renewed their sponsor partnership for 2013.

Direct Supply, the nation's leading provider of equipment, eCommerce and service solutions to the Senior Living profession, will serve as primary sponsor of Josef Newgarden's No. 67 Honda at Milwaukee and be an associate sponsor for all other IZOD IndyCar Series.

"Direct Supply has been with us since the very beginning, and as our longest standing sponsor continues to support us through thick and thin," said Sarah Fisher, co-owner of SFHR. "We are very honored to call the Direct Supply team an extension of the SFHR family and look forward to continuing the build of a founding relationship."

Mazda scholarship winner Portante joins Belardi Auto Racing for USF2000For the second year in a row, a MAZDASPEED Scholarship winner has chosen Belardi Auto Racing to compete in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda Championship.

Peter Portante, 16, who won the Skip Barber Race Series Championship Shootout at Road Atlanta in December, has signed with the Mazda Road to Indy team for the 2013 season.

"Being a huge fan of formula car racing, I always wanted to give road racing a shot, but with continued success in oval cars we found it tough to make the change," Portante said. "Once we learned about Skip Barber and what they had to offer, it seemed like a no-brainer to us, so we made the switch while running a limited late model season."

IndyCar drivers hit track for preseason testingAfter completing more than 300 laps of the Sebring International Raceway short course in the Dallara Automobili simulator last week in Italy, Simona de Silvestro is eager to lay some rubber on the 1.7-mile circuit Feb. 19 during KV Racing Technology's initial on-track session of the year.

"What we saw from two days in the simulator I think it would be good to try some things and see how realistic it is compared to the real track," said de Silvestro, who participated in two get-acquainted test sessions with her new team late last fall.

De Silvestro, 24, enters her fourth IZOD IndyCar Series season, but her first with a teammate in 2004 series champion Tony Kanaan.

St. Petersburg Track Construction BeginsThe countdown to the green flag is on. Earlier today, organizers of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg were joined by IZOD IndyCar Series driver Sebastien Bourdais to usher in the first blocks of the 1.8 mile, 14-turn street course.

This year will mark the third consecutive season that the event will serve as the opening race for the IZOD IndyCar Series, which features the fastest, most versatile race cars and drivers in the world.

Michael Waltrip To Race In No. 26 Car At Daytona In Tribute To Newtown VictimsNASCAR, Swan Racing and driver/team owner Michael Waltrip on Thursday announced plans for a tribute to raise funds and awareness for the Sandy Hook School Support Fund. Swan's Sprint Cup Series entry driven by Waltrip during the Daytona 500 will become the Sandy Hook School Support Fund No. 26 Toyota instead of the Lean1 No. 30. The car will display a call to action to donate $10 to the fund via text message. The "text NEWTOWN to 80888" decal also will appear on all three Michael Waltrip Racing entries in the Daytona 500. THE DAILY

2013 Lotus F1 Junior Team AnnouncedLotus F1 Team is proud to announce its roster of drivers for the newly launched Lotus F1 Junior Team. The seven drivers announced today will be supported by the team in all areas of driving skills, physical fitness, health and nutrition, social and mental development, business ethics and principals, as well as PR training.

The seven drivers will contest within a variety of motorsport championships from the World Series by Renault Formula Renault 3.5 Series through the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 to KF category karting.

Two Ducati Riders Hospitalized During TestTeam SBK Ducati Alstare completed a two-day test at Phillip Island in preparation for the opening round of the World Superbike Championship. Ironically, both of the teams riders ended up in the hospital.

Prior to the start of the test, Carlos Checa was taken to the hospital with stomach pain and nausea. He was treated for a blocked intestine.

Rider Ayrton Badovini took over the brunt of the work load in testing the teams two bikes. However the test ended after Badovini went off course at turn nine on the second day. He was taken to the hospital to check for a possible broken rib, but tests revealed no serious injuries.

Frenchman forced to drive at 125mph after brake failure speed regulator jammed[Editor's Note: What happened to turning off the ignition or putting the car in neutral] A French driver was forced to hurtle 125 miles through northern France at 125 miles per hour after his car speed regulator jammed and the brakes failed.

When Franck Lecerf trundled off to the local supermarket in his Renault Laguna 3 on Saturday, little did he know that he would be involved in a cross-border car chase that would end up in Belgium and make national news.

Mr. Lecerf has filed a legal complaint after his car, specially adapted for disabled drivers, jammed, forcing him to plough all round the northern French coastal motorway.

Keselowski offers in-race analysis throughout the duration of Saturday's race giving viewers direct insight into what drivers on the track are experiencing. FOX Sports' Jeff Hammond serves as the network's roving analyst, taking fans from the garages to pit road and everywhere in between. Once the green flag drops, race announcer Mike Joy is alongside analysts Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds to call all the action on the track, while Steve Byrnes, Krista Voda and Matt Yocum patrol the pits for reports on teams and pit stops. FOX Sports' coverage of The Sprint Unlimited begins Saturday, Feb. 16, at 8:00pm/et. FOX

Ryan Briscoe told speedtv.com that he isn’t sure what or where he’ll be driving this season in North America, but because he has very limited opportunities in IndyCar this season, a return to sports car racing is high on Briscoe's priority list.

A call from Briscoe earlier in the week confirmed he’s out of the running for any of the fulltime IndyCar drives left in the series, but could return for the Indy 500 while seeking other opportunities in road racing.

"Opportunities have been dwindling, but my first priority is IndyCar," said the 2012 Indy 500 polesitter. "That’s where I want to be first and foremost. We’re still working hard towards making something happen, but outside of that, we’ve been getting a lot of interest in doing part-time stuff in sports cars."

Dollar General Backs NHRA Event At zMAXNHRA announced today Dollar General, the nation’s largest small-box discount retailer, will become the title rights sponsor of the first of two NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events.

The fourth annual Dollar General NHRA Four-Wide Nationals fueled by Full Throttle , the official energy drink of NHRA, will be held April 19-21, 2013 at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C.

Considered by many as the greatest spectacle in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, the Dollar General NHRA Four-Wide Nationals fueled by Full Throttle is the only event on the annual 24-race schedule featuring the fastest accelerating machines racing side-by-side in a four-wide configuration including Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Monticello, New York resident oppose track expansion for IndyCar or ALMSUPDATE Residents packed a Town of Thompson Planning Board public hearing Wednesday night on the proposed Monticello Motor Club expansion. While several speakers complained that the noise has shattered their peaceful country getaways, others praised the private racing club for its economic benefits and said the noise isn't that bad.

Club President Ari Straus gave a presentation to a standing-only crowd of more than 100 people on the planned $41 million-$44 million 10-year expansion plan that includes hosting a few pro racing events every year.

As of 9 p.m., several people were still waiting to speak at the public comment session. The Planning Board was not scheduled to take any action.

Bernstein, Densham, and Gaines lead opening day in PomonaBrandon Bernstein continued the momentum from his win at last year’s season finale by racing to the qualifying lead in Top Fuel Thursday at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries.

Gary Densham (Funny Car) and V. Gaines (Pro Stock) also were qualifying leaders at the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season opener at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Bernstein drove his Protect the Harvest/MavTV dragster to the provisional No. 1 spot with a 3.761-second pass at 325.22 mph in the Top Fuel class. If the performance holds, it will be the 15th No. 1 of his career.

American Ethanol to Sponsor July NASCAR Truck Race at Iowa SpeedwayGrowth Energy’s American Ethanol brand will again be the title sponsor for Iowa Speedway’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, the American Ethanol 200, on Saturday evening, July 13. The event on the Newton facility’s 7/8-mile, Rusty Wallace designed tri-oval will feature up to 34 trucks in a 200-lap, high-speed duel.

Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, and Iowa Speedway President Stan Clement made the joint announcement on behalf of both companies.

1985 Dyson Racing Porsche 962. ANDIAL built engines for most of North America's Porsche 962 competitors in the 1980s.

With the last active owner Dieter Inzenhofer retiring later this month, the legendary ANDIAL name will stay in the Porsche family as Porsche Motorsports North America, Inc. (PMNA) announced it has purchased the brand for future use.

ANDIAL is an anagram made from the names of the founding members – the late Arnold Wagner AN; Dieter Inzenhofer DI; and former PMNA president and current consultant Alwin Springer AL. From the company's formation in 1975, it evolved into one of America's most successful and respected independent authorities on Porsche performance tuning.

“We have always considered ANDIAL a member of the Porsche family, and now we are pleased to have the name become an official part of Porsche Motorsport. Arnold, Dieter and Alwin played a key role in growing the prominence of Porsche racing in North America, and their reputation was well-known among both racers and Porsche street car owners well beyond North America,” said Jens Walther, president of Porsche Motorsports North America, Inc.

IndyCar again delays new Indy Lights chassisFirestone Indy Lights announced today that the introduction of its next-generation car will be delayed until after the 2014 season.

"While we have generated quite a bit of interest from a variety of manufacturers, we feel it's best to delay the introduction of the next-generation chassis and engine," said Tony George Jr., director, Firestone Indy Lights. "We want our teams, drivers and manufacturers to be competitive and successful, and if that means taking a step back to create a stronger series to support the economics of this long-term capital investment as well as a formula that we believe will allow our drivers to transition between Pro Mazda and the IZOD IndyCar Series, then we're willing to make sure the introduction is timed properly."

Robby Gordon OFF-ROAD Stadium SUPER Trucks to RunSince 1975, America’s version of the Monaco Grand Prix - the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - has seen legendary drivers in Formula 1, CART/Champ Car and IndyCar create some of the greatest moments in motorsports history.

On April 21, history will be made once again with an unprecedented road course demonstration race by Robby Gordon OFF-ROAD Stadium SUPER Trucks, which will run just prior to Sunday’s IZOD IndyCar Series main event.

It has been a long-time dream of Gordon’s to personally redevelop and bring back this unique form of off-road stadium racing that was immensely popular more than 20 years ago - known then as the Mickey Thompson Off-Road Championship.

David Ragan and Front Row Motorsports will have a doctor in the house at the Daytona 500. The Detail Doctor, the vinyl, leather and plastic "As Seen on TV" car restorer will be the primary sponsor of Ragan's No. 34 Ford for NASCAR's season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway.

Detail Doctor is a one-step application that protects and restores a vehicle's bumper, moldings, door panels, mirror covers and interior dashboards. It's distributed by Ideavillage Products Corp., the developer and marketer of some of the most successful "As Seen on TV" consumer products in history.

Detail Doctor is endorsed by TV personality Danny "The Count" Koker. Fans of custom choppers and hot rods know Koker from his appearances on the History Channel's hit series "Counting Cars" and "Pawn Stars."

Patrick's #10 team using former #78 team crewFrontstretche's Mike Neff interviews Tony Gibson, crew chief for #10 Danica Patrick, Gibson was asked about the pit crew for the #10 team:

Neff: *One last question. Your pit crew this year that will be pitting Danica Patrick in the #10, is it your old crew from the #39, a whole new crew or a combination of old and new guys?

Gibson: "Actually, it is all guys that were working at Stewart-Haas last year that were pitting the #78 at the end of last year. That whole group of guys has moved over to the #10 team to pit Danica. The reason for that is that at least five of those guys work on the cars in the shop for our team. It makes more sense to take guys who work on the cars every day to be more connected to the cars when they get to the track. A lot of those guys I have worked with since the DEI days in the past. It pretty much just made sense to have those guys on the pit crew." Frontstretch

NASCAR limiting driver radio communicationNASCAR will limit a driver's communication to just his/her crew starting this season. Last year, NASCAR banned radio communication between drivers. Now the driver cannot talk to the crew chief or any members of other teams, NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. On the analog channel that a driver uses, only his crew (those assigned to his car number) can use that channel. A driver can still talk to his team owner, who will be allowed to talk with any of the owner's drivers and crews. Many teams use digital radios-illegal for communication with the driver-to talk privately among themselves before delivering messages to the driver. The new rule is designed to make sure that drivers are focused on performance and not on switching radio channels or listening to several voices. Sporting News

MWR Names Tom German as Chief Technical OfficerMichael Waltrip Racing announced it has hired Tom German as Chief Technical Officer for the NASCAR Sprint Cup organization. German has spent nearly 15 years with Penske Racing most recently serving as technical director for Penske's NASCAR teams. German will begin his duties after the Feb. 24 Daytona 500. The highest-ranking technical position at MWR became available when long-time MWR Technical Director Nick Hughes informed MWR he would return to his native Australia some time in 2013. Hughes joined MWR in 2008 creating and managing one of the best engineering staffs in NASCAR. MWR

Sport Clips returns to sponsor HamlinJoe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced today the renewal of Sport Clips Haircuts as the primary sponsor for a total of nine races during the 2013 NASCAR season the most in the Texas-based hair care franchise's five-year history with JGR. The 2013 season will mark Denny Hamlin's fourth year competing for Sport Clips. Hamlin won at Atlanta Motor Speedway last season driving the #11 Sport Clips Toyota. He will drive the #11 Sport Clips Toyota in two Sprint Cup Series races this season beginning with the May 11th race at Darlington followed by the September 1st race at Atlanta." Joe Gibbs Racing

New Look for the #29 in 2013After featuring a predominantly black paint scheme for the past two seasons, Kevin Harvick's #29 Chevy will shift to the Budweiser Bowtie-can inspired red and white scheme as the primary look in 2013. Introduced in August 2011, the current can design is Budweiser's 12th since 1936 when Anheuser-Busch first began offering its flagship brand in cans. The focal point of the design is Budweiser's iconic bowtie, complemented by the time-honored Budweiser creed and Anheuser-Busch medallion. The same elements are prominent in the new #29 Budweiser Chevrolet paint scheme. RCR PR

Honda announces its 2013 MotoGP programHonda Motor Co., Ltd. announced the key features of its 2013 motorsports program, including its motorsports strategy and initiatives for expanding the popularity of motorsports.

Since the days of its founding, Honda has always been involved in motorsports, aiming for the world's top level. Combining motorcycle and automobile racing, Honda currently competes in or provides support to more than 100 race categories around the world. The challenging spirit that symbolizes Honda Motorsports has now taken root in every region of the world through these activities. Honda will continue and enhance its involvement in motorsports on a global scale, so that it can ensure growth in ways befitting Honda, meet the expectations of even more customers worldwide, and expand joys.

Dragon and Truecar respond to Legge statementAfter announcing their new driver Sebastian Saavedra for the No. 6 TRUECar Dragon Racing entry yesterday without reference to its previous driver, Katherine Legge, Dragon Racing and TRUECar, Inc. issued a joint statement Wednesday confirming that they have ended their relationship with the British driver.

“Both Dragon Racing and TRUECar have tried to amicably resolve this matter with Legge and her representatives to no avail – and aside of acknowledging the existence of the dispute, due to the confidential nature of the dispute, neither of the parties will be making any further public statements regarding this matter, but both TrueCar and Dragon Racing have ample confidence that they will undoubtedly prevail,” the statement read.

Wolff's neck on the line if Mercedes fails againIn that time Wolff has already had to calm reports that Mercedes was planning to remove team principal Ross Brawn in favour of a new structure led by himself and McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe.

And despite not having a direct input in the team's 2013 W04, Wolff insists he will not have the luxury of shirking responsibility should last year's slump not be rectified.

"It is all about having your neck on the line," Wolff told the official Formula 1 website.

Conquest Racing gives up on IndyCar for 2013Conquest Racing announced today the team will focus solely in its sportscar program in 2013, and that it will take a hiatus from the IZOD IndyCar Series after selling its DW12 chassis this week. The team, which has participated in open-wheel competition for the last 16 years, will now continue building on what was an impressive debut in the 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron season, where the rookie squad fought for the P2 championship all the way to the last minutes of the last race and eventually ended up in the runner-up position.

After scoring two victories and three pole positions in 2012 in the P2 category, for 2013 the team is exploring options in the PC and GTC categories to put together another winning package in these highly competitive classes.

TransSystems joins RLLRahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that TranSystems Inc., a global engineering transportation firm, has become an “Official Team Partner” as well as an associate sponsor of the No. 15 Indy car driven by Graham Rahal in the IZOD IndyCar Series for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

“All along I have said that one of our goals is to attract the best companies in the world to our team and TranSystems certainly qualifies as one of them,” said Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with CBS LATE SHOW host David Letterman and Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan.

Marussia F1 Team partnership with CarPlan enters a second seasonThe Marussia F1 Team is pleased to announce that it has extended and expanded its existing relationship with CarPlan, who continue as the official car care supplier for the 2013 season.

CarPlan, the leading automotive valeting brand from Tetrosyl, will ensure the presentation of the Team’s new MR02 race car is immaculate every time it appears on track in view of the sport’s global TV audience. CarPlan will supply the Marussia F1 Team with a range of its multiple award-winning products to suit every car preparation need.

Comcast to buy GE's 49 pct stake in NBCUniversalComcast said Tuesday that it's buying General Electric's 49 percent stake in the NBCUniversal joint venture for $16.7 billion several years early, as the company takes advantage of low borrowing costs and what CEO Brian Roberts called a "very attractive price."

The company is also buying from GE such assets as NBC's headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York and CNBC's headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., for about $1.4 billion.

At the same time, the company said it would raise its annual dividend 20 percent to 78 cents per share and buy back $2 billion in shares this year.

Speedway Motorsports CEO Bruton Smith said Tuesday in a radio interview that he’d be willing to buy the Carolina Panthers from owner Jerry Richardson – and Smith said he wouldn’t make city or state taxpayers pay for improvements at Bank of America Stadium. Smith’s comments came near the end of an interview with WBT-AM morning talk show host Keith Larson.

Larson said the interview was prompted by remarks he’d made Monday, in which he referred to Smith’s threat several years ago to move Charlotte Motor Speedway out of Concord in a dispute with local officials over his plans to build a drag raceway there.

Less than eight months ago, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France tasked the team at the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C., with developing a means to shorten the delay caused by rain.

The reasons for the initiative were many, but at the top of the list: Fans, whether in the grandstands or watching on television, should not have to wait long before racing resumes following a downpour.

NASCAR announced today Phase 1 of France’s vision, introducing the Air Titan track drying system that will debut during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway. This innovative technology, steeped in science and created by the NASCAR R&D Center, will reduce track drying time, improve the racing product and enhance the fan experience – starting this week and including The Sprint Unlimited on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Richard Petty Motorsports Ready to Enter Both Cars in Sprint UnlimitedThis Saturday night, Richard Petty Motorsports, for the first time, will start their two cars in the Sprint Unlimited exhibition race for 2012 pole winners and past "Unlimited" winners. Marcos Ambrose and the No. 9 Stanley Ford team and Aric Almirola and the No. 43 Smithfield Ford team will both be making their first starts in the event.

Ambrose qualified for the event after winning two poles in 2012 (Sonoma and Michigan in June) while Almirola led the field to the start of the Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in May last year. The three poles proved the continued progress of Richard Petty Motorsports in 2012 and now allow the team to get a head start in 2013. This race was a priority explained Director of Competition, Sammy Johns.

Fans to decide the Sprint Unlimited Starting LineupRace fans will have the final voice in selecting the starting lineup for The Sprint Unlimited At Daytona on Saturday night, Feb. 16 under the lights at Daytona International Speedway. Race fans will have three options to determine the order that the drivers will line up for the fan favorite, star-studded race.

1) Number of career wins (most to least)2) 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final driver point standings3) The order of when drivers earned their pole position in 2012 (Daytona 500 first place - Homestead-Miami Speedway Ford 400 last place)

Fans will drive unique #Indy500orBust campaignFans will share their journeys to the Indianapolis 500 through the #Indy500or Bust marketing campaign launched March 1 by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The unique campaign, which runs through May 31, encourages fans to upload pictures of their personal journeys to "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" on popular social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Photos can depict either their actual trip to IMS every May or important parts of their life that attracted them to the great race.

Qualifying rule changes set to boost interest in Daytona DuelsNASCAR's scrapping of the top-35 rule, which guaranteed starting spots in every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race to the top 35 cars in the owner standings, by definition broadens the opportunity to make the field. In the case of Daytona, it also injects a new level of suspense into the Budweiser Duel 150 qualifying races that's been minimized in the era of the top-35 rule.

For every Cup race this season, the 36 fastest cars will make the field. Rather than, say, 13 go-or-go-homers (non-exempt cars) competing for a maximum of eight starting spots, every team that takes to the track knows one thing. If you're among the 36 fastest, you're in the race, period.

GRAND-AM, ALMS Announce Formation Of Joint Technical CommitteeGRAND-AM Road Racing and the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patr¢n announced today the formation of a Joint Technical Committee. The group is focusing on key competition issues for the two organizations during this season, but also on the competitive landscape for the new unified sports car series debuting in 2014.

GM’s first use of heat-activated shape memory alloy replaces heavier motorized part

2014 Corvette

From its fiberglass body in 1953 to its aluminum chassis for 2014, Chevrolet Corvette has a six-decade track record for introducing lightweight materials that improve vehicle performance. With the 2014 Corvette’s aluminum frame weighing in 99 pounds lighter than its predecessor, that trend continues.

In addition, the redesigned seventh-generation sports car is the first vehicle to use a General Motors’-developed lightweight shape memory alloy wire in place of a heavier motorized actuator to open and close the hatch vent that releases air from the trunk. This allows the trunk lid to close more easily than on the previous models where trapped air could make the lid harder to close.

The Como, Italy native is scheduled to drive the No. 33 Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway (June 8), Road America (June 22), and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Aug. 17). Papis began his racing career in go-karts as a child. Since then, his skill behind the steering wheel has taken him throughout the world to compete in, among others, NASCAR, Formula 1, Indy Car, and sports car racing, including the 24 Hours of Daytona and 24 Hours of LeMans endurance races and V8 Supercar.

Debut for BMW Team RLL’s BMW Z4 GTEDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. BMW is embarking on a new chapter of its motorsport commitment in North America. After four successful years with the BMW M3 GT, the new BMW Z4 GTE will take over at the head of the manufacturer’s campaign in the 2013 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron.

BMW Motorsport and BMW Team RLL presented the car and drivers for the new season at Daytona International Speedway, site for the first race of the 2014 combined North American sports car championship. The first race for the 2013 ALMS season is the 61st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on March 16.

Later Daytona 500 date to continue for awhileNASCAR and Daytona Int'l Speedway officials said that holding the Daytona 500 “a week later is working out well and likely will continue for the foreseeable future,” according to Dinah Voyles Pullover of the Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL.

There has been a “13-week break in racing action” from the season finale at Miami-Homestead Speedway to the Daytona 500 after the decision was made in '11 to "move the 500 back a week, extending the off-season by a week and closing an open race weekend in March, to condense the season a little at the request of its broadcast partner Fox Sports.” NASCAR Senior VP/Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell yesterday said, "We look at it on a year-by-year basis, but so far so good."

PPG Announces Multi-Year Extension of Penske Racing PartnershipContinuing to build on one of the longest partnerships in racing, PPG Industries and Penske Racing today announced a multi-year extension of their relationship.

Pittsburgh-based PPG’s automotive refinish business, a leading worldwide supplier of high-performance coatings for passenger vehicles, motorcycles, heavy-duty trucks and many commercial applications, returns as a Penske Racing sponsor this season and beyond. The 2013 season marks the 29th year of the successful partnership between Penske Racing and PPG.

Video: Horner likes Red Bull's chances for 4-straightRed Bull team principal Christian Horner tells BBC F1 presenter Suzi Perry his main aim for 2013 is to extend the "halcyon period" that has seen his team win three drivers' and constructors' titles.

Fellows excited about bringing the NASCAR Trucks to CanadaAs part of the reveal of the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule, Canadian fans had their spirits boosted when it was announced that the trucks would be running the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park road course on September 1st.

Getting one of the top three divisions to come to CTMP has been a process that Ron Fellows began two years ago with the first batch of renovations after buying the track formally known as Mosport.

In the span of two years, Fellows has improved certain turns, built a tunnel so you can easily get to the inside of the track, while also building a new event center to host VIPs and media.

Gordon To Headline Martinsville Fan ZonePepsi MAX driver Jeff Gordon has mastered Martinsville Speedway’s .526-mile oval in his career with seven victories along with countless top 5 and top-10 finishes.

The four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion will take time to talk about his Martinsville success, along with other things, in the Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone presented by Pepsi MAX prior to the Virginia 500 on April 7.

Gordon was in position to score his eighth Martinsville Speedway last spring, leading over 325 laps before a wild restart with just a couple of laps to go wiped away his chances at victory.

Another lost weekend for IndyCarUPDATE A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1, Some say the Indy 500 should never be a night race. A noon start is tradition. Sam Plumer

Dear Sam, Times have changed. The fan base is different. Most people would prefer to spend Memorial Weekend Sunday afternoon with family at a barbecue or at the beach. No one sits in front of the TV on a Sunday afternoon anymore. Maybe in February when it is cold for the Daytona 500, but not the end of May when it is nice outside. In fact the record high TV ratings for the Indy 500 were in the 1960s and early 70s when ABC Wide World of Sports used to tape delay the race until Sunday evening. Back then the ratings were between 20 and 30. This is a fact that cannot be disputed. If IndyCar wants to see the Indy 500 TV ratings continue to fall and the sport eventually die, then yes they can hold onto their antiquated traditions, or they can move the race under the lights on Saturday night and watch it prosper. They will do it for NASCAR, but not for the race they themselves own. Go figure. Mark C.

02/10/13 This is now the second weekend in 2013 that IndyCar could have been the only game in town for race fans when there would be no football games on TV and no other race series in action. TV ratings would be solid. The IndyCar season should begin in late January and conclude by Labor Day to avoid conflicts with popular American Football. That makes too much sense, hence IndyCar will likely not do it. But they will install lights at the Indy Motor Speedway to help arch enemy NASCAR succeed.

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